Macedonians Killed in Iraq; For What?
Update: 13:00 CET Wednesday, 20 October
An expert team from the Macedonian government has been dispatched to Qatar to review the Al Jazeera tape, while the 19 Macedonians seeking to leave Iraq are said to be on the way home. Three other Macedonians are also trying to cross into Turkey. The whole incident has been confused by new reports that claim a total of five men were kidnapped in August, with three kept (and, it seems, at least two now dead), while the other two were sent back to tell the tale. This may be so, but no one has reported such a thing up to now. Stay tuned for more details.
Al Jazeera confirmed Macedonians’ worst fears Monday when it reported that two workers kidnapped in Iraq in August have been executed by Islamic extremists. The Qatar-based news agency stated that a video tape it received shows the killing of two men, identified by their passports as Dalibor Lazarevski and Zoran Naskovski, who had been abducted in August along with a third Macedonian, Dragan Markovic.The videotape and accompanying statement – allegedly sent by the “Islamic Army in Iraq” – declared that the men had been kidnapped “a few days” earlier, as they were leaving a US military base. However, considering that they had been missing since August, either the tape was recorded long ago or was deliberately meant to mislead. An Al Jazeera representative told Macedonian TV that the tape had come anonymously in the mail, as has been the case with other similar tapes of executions. When asked whether the tape showed the executions taking place, the representative confirmed this yet said that the station’s policy precluded showing such acts on-air.
The alleged killers charged that the Macedonians, construction workers contracted by United Arab Emirates-based Soufan Engineering, were “American spies.” According to Reuters, this company is “…catering to the needs of the U.S. military and its private contractor firms” in occupied Iraq.
The latest updates from Macedonian television stations in contact with Al Jazeera and the government add that other Macedonians working for Soufan in Iraq have decided to pull out. According to A1 TV, 19 workers are now on their way home following the tragedy. Channel 5 reports that Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva hopes to get more information following a planned phone call tomorrow afternoon with her Iraqi counterpart. President Crvenkovski has also instructed Macedonia’s intelligence services to cooperate with “friendly” foreign intelligence bodies on this case. Finally, Defense Minister Buchkovski also confirmed tonight that the 33 remaining Macedonian soldiers in Iraq are in no danger.
The grisly affair has piled pressure on the government at a time when it is already in mortal danger due to internal fracturing, a looming referendum and spirited opposition to its agreement on a new American embassy to be built on a historical site. Furthermore, if substantiated the killings would directly contradict the stated opinion of the government and Soufan Engineering, which was that the men had been kidnapped not by Islamic extremists but “…for ransom by petty criminal gangs” – a possibility that would give reason for hope.
However, from numerous conversations held since August, average Macedonians seem to have been suspecting the worst all along. And what emerges is more a sense of inevitability than outrage over the murders. “They knew the risk and went to Iraq anyway” is the sentiment being voiced by many in regards to the Macedonian workers’ fateful decision. And, while Reuters paints a dreary picture of their city of provenance (Kumanovo) as “impoverished,” the truth is that this northeastern city can hardly be described in such terms. True, the economy is not particularly good, but Kumanovo is more prosperous than many other places in Macedonia. Why, then, is it notable that the murdered workers hailed from this city in particular?
The real reason why these workers were killed probably lies not with economic malaise but in the numbers. While statistics are not available, it seems clear that a proportionately larger number of Kumanovans than other Macedonians remain in imperial service in the Middle East, because of the city’s five-year relationship with the likes of Brown & Root and other companies providing logistical support for the US mission in nearby Kosovo. The treaty that ended the 1999 bombardment was signed in Kumanovo, and in its heyday the imperial presence employed up to 2,000 local people.
Despite loathing the war that inculcated it, workers welcomed the economic boom that an influx of foreigners and foreign companies brought to the city. Raucous parties, conspicuous consumption, even mixed marriages resulted.
And so, when the Kosovo-related presence of Brown & Root and international institutions began to wane in the past couple years, hundreds of Kumanovans addicted to the “good life” of imperial servitude were only too happy to continue their labors in more exotic locales, such as Yemen, Kuwait or Djibouti. For the Americans, it made sense to bring the Macedonians along, since they were cheap and had already been trained. For the workers, imperial labor came to replace the time-honored practice of emigrating to Western Europe to find work, so as to send money home to the family. In the Middle East, they were able to make a relative fortune, shore up the empire’s operations, and also send money home. With the dependable influx of money, new cars and even homes were purchased. Wives and girlfriends came to enjoy spending time in cafˆšÂ©s, having affairs and painting their fingernails. It was a win-win situation for everyone.
We’ve often wondered whether the money earned “over there” has some unique lustre, or otherwise invests its owner with special powers. Why else would anyone risk their lives, when myriad other forms of earning wages can be found?
When asked, “Why Iraq?” Macedonians surveyed have frequently replied that “we need the money.” After the horrific murders of Dalibor Lazarevski and Zoran Naskovski, we can only hope that other Macedonian workers in a similar position will reconsider their decision. Slaving away in deadly circumstances in Iraq so that American corporate fat cats can enrich themselves further – people, it’s just not worth it.
Tonight, our condolences go out to the families of those Macedonians needlessly killed in Iraq.